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Oliver raised the alarm with the piste patrollers who then radioed the mountain police.

Liam Herbert, a spokesman for both families, said: "The families would like to be left alone at this point. They would like some privacy and do not want to be disturbed."

The three men were on holiday in Chamonix and staying with British tour operator Inghams.

Chamonix Mont Blanc

A local source said: “The boys were on holiday with Inghams. Everyone there is in complete and utter shock. This is such a tragic accident. The British consulate has been here helping with everything.”

A spokeswoman for Inghams said: "We are working closely with local authorities in Chamonix, France, and the British consulate, following the fatal accident involving two skiers on Sunday, January 28. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of our guests at this difficult time."

Stuart Macdonald, a British IFMGA mountain guide based in Chamonix, said: “This is an extremely serious couloir to ski at any time because there is a cliff at the bottom that you need to exit beforehand and it is a 45-degree slope. This is extreme skiing in any conditions, let alone yesterday’s (Sunday).

"It is west-facing and relatively low in altitude and the past week we have had plenty of sun and no fresh snow. All these factors mean I would not have skied that couloir yesterday (Sunday).

"To descend this couloir, the snow would have to be either grippy snow or powder but not poor quality snow with irregularities like yesterday.

"Conditions are great in certain off-piste areas in Chamonix at the moment but certainly not good on a 45-degree couloir that has been getting lots of sunshine and may well have been very icy.

“They may have seen tracks in the snow that they then followed but in Chamonix, in particular, you could well be following a world-class skier."

French police continue to investigate the deaths

The men were skiing down the mountain when the first skier fell sharply. While the second skier went to help him, the third skier, further back, also tumbled suddenly and fell to his death.

The skiers had arrived in Chamonix at the weekend for a holiday. They had ventured off-piste despite mountain experts warning against skiing out of bounds due to the dangerous conditions.

The day before the accident, rescuers recovered a snowboarder who found himself in difficulty in the same area.

On Sunday, the Chamonix mountain police were called to 12 incidents, including the fatal accident.

Police at Chamonix say they are continuing to investigate the tragic incident.

Their bodies were recovered from the mountain by helicopter.

Oliver was not injured but was in a state of shock.

The Foreign Office has said it is providing support to the men's families.

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